Showing 1-24 of 40 items found in History

A must-see attraction in Kewanee is the Woodland Palace at Francis Park, the first “green” home in Illinois. This unusual home was built way ahead of its time and is filled with engineering wonders. Learn about the quirky and eccentric man who built and lived in the home. Fred Francis was an artist, poet, inventor, builder, mathematician, engineer, and a naturist. Francis started to build the home in 1890 and worked on it for the next thirty-six years. It features hand-carved molding, a water purification system, and is the first house in the state of Illinois to have air-conditioning without the aid of electricity. View the sophisticated achievements of disappearing windows, doors, and more. Visit a home where everything seems to work in harmony. Woodland Palace is open seven days a week from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. April through October 1.

We invite you to spend the day in an enchanting village. The park is the center of this small town and will be filled with story telling and music. Join us for the historical re-enactment, a family oriented event sharing true tales of what makes us uniquely American.

Tour this centennial barn, one of the largest in the country and one of forty-two left in the State of Illinois. It stands 80 feet high and 85 feet in diameter and features a 16-foot diameter floor to ceiling silo. A farm implement museum in on the main floor. Tours are provided by Friends of Johnson’s Park Foundation and groups of ten or more asked to call ahead. Open the first, third, and fifth Saturday beginning May through October. Hours: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The nation's second-oldest US Army museum features exhibits that highlight the history of the island, items manufactured there, and a display of firearms portraying the history of small arms development.

If motorcycles are your thing, check out Reiman’s Harley Davidson. Roger Reiman, the original proprietor, is a 1998 inductee into the American Motorcycle Association’s Hall of Fame and a three-time winner of the Daytona 200. A top competitor in the AMA’s Grand National Circuit during the 1960s, Reiman cut back on his racing schedule to manage the family Harley Davidson dealership in Kewanee during the 1970s. It was during this time that he became famous as motorcycle stuntman Evel Knievel’s head mechanic. Since Reiman’s death in a racing accident in 1997, the Packee family has owned and operated the dealership. One of the top Harley Davidson dealerships in the Midwest, Reiman’s can meet every motorcycle enthusiast’s needs and desires. Stop by and visit the Racing Museum and check out the history of Roger Reiman and Evel Knievel. Axle will be there to greet you!

Celebrate the 168th anniversary of the Bishop Hill Colony and the 118th year of the Old Settler’s Association. Enjoy a traditional chicken dinner, the High Society Band Concert and program featuring Bishop Hill Colony descendants’ speakers. Sunday a reunion of students and teachers from the Bishop Hill Colony School takes place and memories are shared. Hours: 11:30 am to 3 pm.

View navigation and learn about the Mississippi River past and present. Located on historical Rock Island Arsenal Island at Lock & Dam 15, you can watch barges lock through and make reservations for Lock & Dam Tours during the Summer weekend months. Call ahead for reservations for guided Lock & Dam tours.

Each Labor Day weekend, Black Hawk State Historic Site welcomes their annual Labor Day Weekend Pow Wow hosted by hosted by MAPA, the Citizens to Preserve Black Hawk Park Foundation, Black Hawk State Historic Site and IHPA. This pow wow celebrates the Native American culture and tradition of the Sauk and Meskwaki (Fox) tribes that once resided in the Quad Cities region. The celebration features Native American dancing, music, and crafts.

Founded in 1976, the group maintains the Kewanee Historical Society's Robert and Marcella Richards Museum, featuring numerous exhibits highlighting the colorful history of Kewanee. Open, May 1st to October 1st Thursday & Saturday, 1:30PM-4:00PM Open Everyday Labor Day Weekend

The Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum houses the largest private holdings of important original manuscripts and documents. The archives include manuscripts from the fields of literature, science, religion, history, and art. Among the treasures are the original draft of the Bill of Rights of the United States and the "Thanksgiving Proclamation" signed by George Washington. Exhibits change throughout the year.The museum is situated in a beautiful historic church that was built in 1914. Admission is free.

Sauk and Mesquaki Indian artifacts, many directly from Black Hawk's family and tribes connected with Black Hawk. Voted one of the 7 Wonders of Illinois in 2007, this museum is situated inside Black Hawk State Historic Site - a nature reserve. Visit Black Hawk Lodge and the Fur Trading exhibit connected to the museum.

The John Hauberg Indian Museum is located in Black Hawk State Historic Site in Rock Island, Illinois and features full-size replicas of Sauk winter and summer houses. Dioramas with life-size figures depict activities of the Sauk and Meskwaki people between 1750 to1830. Artifacts, including authentic trade goods, jewelry and domestic items are displayed. In addition, a special exhibit tells the story of the Sauk and Meskwaki along with a four by eight foot scale model of the city of Saukenuk - one of the largest Native American Indian settlements in North America. This small, intimate museum is nestled in a park setting filled with wooded hiking trails and picnic areas. Guided tours of the museum are given by appointment by calling 309-788-9536.

Experience innovations of the present and the future while appreciating the heritage of the past at the free attraction in downtown Moline, Illinois. See vintage machines and climb aboard new ones, operate a simulated excavator or dozer, explore exhibits on how technology helps people shape and care for the land and enjoy interactive ways for kids to learn about farming and infrastructure. The John Deere Store stocks a large collection of genuine John Deere merchandise.

Tour Deere & Companies largest combine factory and Visitors Center. Minimum age 13, closed toe shoes required, tours subject to availability and factory production schedules. Watch combines made from beginning to end. Watch them dipped in the famous green paint and watch workers and machines create these amazing agricultural machines. To Schedule a tour call 800-765-9588. Tours are Monday through Friday at 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. by appointment. Tours are guided and take place aboard motorized vehicles.

In the summer of 2013, a collective of artists, called the Walldogs, came to Kewanee, IL to paint 15 historic murals depicting the long history and heritage of the city. These paintings can be found on many downtown facades, as well as at the Amtrak Station that brings new people to the area, every day. About this mural: Kewanee was founded in May of 1854, when the Military Tract Railroad was routed to the north of Wethersfield. The town founders were from Wethersfield Township to the south, Sylvester Blish, Ralph Tenney, Henry Little and Sullivan Howard, plus Nelson Lay from Wisconsin. Colonel Berrian, civil engineer who supervised the laying of the track through this area, was asked to choose a name and he decided on “Kewanee,” a Winnebago Indian word for “prairie chicken.” In 1921, Wethersfield’s 2,000 people asked to be annexed to Kewanee with its 16,000. That 18,000 would turn out to be Kewanee’s peak population.

One of Illinois' finest examples of courthouse architecture, this stately structure was built in 1878. The main courtroom ceiling is decorated with murals depicting the principal communities of the county.

The Hennepin Canal State Park, a 104-mile linear park, is a rustic, historic, educational, and recreational jewel spanning five counties and includes the entire width of Henry County with access points in Annawan, Atkinson, Geneseo, and Colona. It offers an up-close look at a fascinating piece of transportation history. It is popular with bicyclists who ride from town to town exploring the history, dining, lodging, and entertainment possibilities as they travel. The canal multi-purpose recreational trail is a portion of the American Discovery Trail, a 6,800-mile coast-to-coast trail devoted to non-motorized use. It is also part of the Grand Illinois Trail, a 535-mile loop through northern Illinois. The tree-lined park is a refuge with prairie restorations and wetlands slicing through corn and soybean farmland. Home to diverse flora and fauna, it has become a favorite for bird watchers and prairie enthusiasts. It offers numerous year-round opportunities to boat, hike, bike, fish, ride horseback, snowmobile, ice skate, and cross-country ski. Explore Henry County’s jewel – the Hennepin Canal. In wintertime experience the longest snowmobile trail in the state -- 91 miles on the tow path. You can use the ice at your own risk, but pay heed to the locks, bridges and culverts where the ice likely is thinner than the rest of the canal. Bring your blades, skating along the canal is free! Keep in mind the rule is there must be 4" of snow and 6" of frost on canal for route to be open. Call the Visitor Center for automated message.